1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication message storing and delivering device, a mobile communication terminal device, and communication message storing and delivering method, a communication message such as an audio and video message.
As used herein, “delivery” not only includes sending a message stored by a communication message storing and delivering device therein to a mobile communication terminal device, but also includes acquiring a message by a mobile communication terminal device accessing a communication message storing and delivering device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In conventional message services of audio communication using a mobile communication terminal device such as a cellular phone and audio-visual communication (video phone), there is a widespread service in which, when a recipient is in a state of being unable to make a response because the location of a recipient is out of service or because of a user setting, power exhaustion, or the like, a message to the recipient is temporarily stored in a predetermined storing device by telephone answering service, and the message is provided to the mobile communication terminal device when the mobile communication terminal device returns to a state of being able to make a response.
However, in this typical telephone answering service, if the telephone answering service is not subscribed to by a recipient, a message is not stored as described above. An originator needs to originate a call again. Therefore, the originator is unsatisfied with it as a user.
To solve such originator's dissatisfaction during use of the service, a technique has already been proposed in which, even if telephone answering service is not subscribed to by the recipient, a message can be stored when the recipient is in a state where it cannot respond.
For example, according to the disclosure of JP 2007-243469 A, a history of calling for an audio message from an audio message delivering device is stored in a recipient's terminal, and the recipient can call the audio message delivering device and requests the audio message therefrom to receive it at an appropriate time after the calling.
Thereby, the audio message can be transmitted to the recipient at a time convenient for the opposite party even if the recipient does not subscribe to telephone answering service or the telephone answering function of its telephone set is turned off.
In addition, according to the disclosure of JP 2001-204078 A, even if telephone answering service is not subscribed to by a recipient, a message is recorded using the telephone answering service on an originator, and the recipient is notified through an e-mail that the message has been recorded, so that the recipient can listen to the recording of the message without a delay. Therefore, the convenience of the telephone answering service is further improved.
Further, JP 2006-166013 A discloses that a plurality of recipients are specified by a delivery destination specifying section of a mobile switching center to perform broadcasting to them, and audio data is provided at a date and time specified by a date and time specifying section of the mobile switching center.
In the proposals of the above JP 2007-243469 A and JP 2001-204078 A, the convenience of the telephone answering service is enjoyed at the originator's cost, even if the telephone answering service is not subscribed to by the recipient, and it is assumed that when the recipient can respond immediately, a transmitted message is delivered to the recipient without going through an additional storing process or the like.
Although JP 2006-166013 A discloses broadcasting to a plurality of recipients and delivery at a specified date and time, there is no method so that a recipient (expected recipient) can know that a message to the recipient has been stored at an early stage, so the message is delivered to the recipient after its non-responding state is cancelled.
Therefore, the inventors of the present invention discovered that any of the above JP 2007-243469 A, JP 2001-204078 A and JP 2006-166013 A does not disclose a method for optionally enabling a message storing service to be used on originator's will and a method for a recipient to know without delay that a message addressed to the recipient has been stored, even if the telephone answering service is not subscribed to by the recipient and whether or not the recipient can respond at a current situation.